Hanwha Aerospace to Get its Unmanned Ground Vehicle Tested in U.S. Ahead of Targeting Global Sales

Hanwha Aerospace's Arion-SMET unmanned vehicle is set to undergo a performance test at a U.S. Marine Corps training center.

The company recently secured a contract for the Foreign Comparative Performance Test (FCT) project with the U.S. Department of Defense. The crucial evaluation of the Arion Met will take place at the Marine Corps Training Center on O'ahu Island, Hawaii, lasting three weeks from early December this year.

During this local test near the U.S. Marine Corps base in Hawaii, Arion Met will demonstrate its capabilities in transporting fuel, combat rations, water, patients, and repair parts over designated distances.

Arion Met was previously selected as an FCT project by the U.S. Department of Defense in October last year and began equipment demonstrations for U.S. forces stationed in Korea at Camp Humphreys. Notably, Arion Met is the first domestically developed military unmanned vehicle to be chosen for an FCT project, boasting comparable or superior specifications in terms of maximum speed (43km/h), electric charging range (100km), and payload capacity (550kg) to global top-tier equipment.

Arion Met boasts four operational modes: remote control, wired following along a line connected to troops, autonomous driving along a predefined route, and autonomous navigation capable of independently traversing uncharted terrain, including off-road driving. Its remote-control shooting system enhances close combat effectiveness by automatically tracking, aiming, and firing at targets while maneuvering.